


Simple Man

by soukokuforlife14



Category: No.6 - (Anime & Manga), No.6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 06:23:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14302752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soukokuforlife14/pseuds/soukokuforlife14
Summary: "Be a simple man, Nezumi. Don't ever forget the beauty of simplicity."To this day Nezumi still doesn't understand what his mother meant.





	Simple Man

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo I was listening to Shinedown's song, Simple Man and this just happened. Nope I should not be trusted to write in the middle of the night. But I did. I did this instead of sleeping. Which I really need to do my eyes hurt. Just a heads up to those who may be uncomfortable with it there is vague mentioning of child birth and breast feeding. If either of those things weird you out well now you know. 
> 
> Enjoy my midnight ramblings guys! Oh and listen to that song. If you haven't already, it's so good. Honestly let's hope this still makes sense in the morning. XD

Nezumi looked up into the calm grey of his mother’s eyes. The way her midnight colored hair fell around her face the tips of which brushed his cheeks. She wore a soft smile, arms wrapped protectively around his small body. Cradling him against her own and ever growing belly. The presence of a third person lost on Nezumi who had yet to learn of his sibling growing inside her.

Her lips were moving but Nezumi could not hear what she was saying. Could not hear the syllables she uttered. He could not read lips, was only just learning how to read words on paper. Make sense of bunched up letters written neatly on a page.

Still he was curious about what exactly it was that she was saying to him. Telling him with a stern edge to her eyes that dulled the calmness of them. And when her lips ceased movement, something expectant in her nod, Nezumi nodded back. To indicate he'd understood. When in fact he did not. Had not even heard her to try.

_Be a simple man, Nezumi. Don't ever forget the beauty of simplicity._

Was that what she’d said? Nezumi couldn't be sure, just that he felt these words pressed to his ears, hard as though it were important. A secret to success. He couldn't think further on it as now he was seated outside his parents bedroom, the sound of his mother’s pained moans creating a coil of fear and anger in the pit of his stomach. It made him sick and he couldn't help feeling malice towards that child that was hurting her.

The moans ceased and suddenly he was staring into squinting grey eyes that glittered with unshed tears. The baby had cried a lot, the sound of her wailing reached his ears, echoing above his mother’s heavy pants. She explained the baby was a girl. His baby sister. Even after she'd stopped crying she wore a perpetually crunched up expression, as though she could smell something disgusting or had just tasted something especially bad.

When Nezumi asked why his mother explained that his sister was only familiarizing herself with the new world she'd literally been thrust into. Nezumi nodded slowly. Understanding in the pinch of his brow.

Little gurgling sounds of disgruntlement left the baby’s mouth and his mother smiled, her hair stuck to her face in thick groups from the sweat and her face was still flushed from the exertion. A thin blanket was draped over her otherwise naked body and Nezumi watched silently as she placed the baby before her bare breast. The child wasting no time before latching onto her nipple. Little hands coming to rest against her skin.

His mother stared down at her baby, his sister, and hummed contentedly the sound of it mingling with eager suckling noises as the baby both nourished itself and got to know her mother in a different way than she'd previously known her.

Nezumi watched silently.

It was beautiful.

He felt no embarrassment at seeing his mother’s half naked body. Rather he was mesmerized. Mesmerized by what she'd done in just a few hours and the life she now cradled lovingly in her arms. He was almost bewildered by it. Not ten minutes ago his mother had been crying out in pain, lips continuously releasing grunts and groans. His father’s soft voice hardly ringing above the sound of it, assuring her that she could do it. Occasionally she'd scold him for saying such things because _of FUCKING course_ she could do it. She'd done it once before and she was perfectly capable of doing it a second time.

His father’s chuckle would soon follow mixed with the sound of another groan or cry.

Glancing to the side Nezumi found his father to be mirroring his mother’s expression. Something of pride glinting in his eyes, the tips of his fingers reaching out to caress his strong wife’s cheek. Brushing aside the hair that stuck to her face. She sighed softly and the baby mimicked it, his sister’s breaths one with the pace of his mother’s, heartbeat pulsing at the same pace. His mother explained that the baby’s body regulates easier when pressed against her. That she learns faster while mimicking her mother.

“You’ll get to hold her in a minute,” she said speaking to his father who removed his shirt in response. Confusion must've been apparent in the cock of his head and pinch of his brow because his father chuckled lightly and said, “Skin contact is the best way to bond with your newly born child. Getting her accustomed to me will create a stronger relationship between me and her.”

Nezumi nodded.

The scene was shifting again, now the house was burning. His mother was burning. His father was burning. His sister was burning. He could hear nothing, no crackling flames or the pained screams of his family burning alive that would quickly die out as the smoke stopped their hearts. No all he could hear was his mother’s request, the softness of her voice and gentle look of her eyes, not stern or forceful, but calm and cool.

_Be a simple man Nezumi. Don't ever forget the beauty of simplicity._

These words rolled around in his head, rang in his ears over the crackle of flames and the croak of his dying family.

These words grew louder and louder and continued in a loop until his eyelids flew open and Nezumi found he was not in a burning building. Watching his sister burn, watching his mother burn, watching his father burn. Instead of flames that seemed to bind him he found the covers had encircled his wrists and ankles like chains. Shion’s hand was placed on his shoulder, red eyes wide as they stared at Nezumi, lips parted as though he'd been saying something. Or about to say something.

Shion visibly swallowed before he asked, “Nightmare?”

Nezumi stared at him, wondering at his presence, as he usually did when he awoke beside the man. Startled out of nightmares either by the images he'd seen or the rough shake of his shoulder when Shion managed to rouse him.

Nezumi’s silence though seemed to further concern the man though as his brow pinched and he opened his mouth to ask something else, maybe something less obvious, but Nezumi didn't let him.

“I'm fine.” He said, to answer, untangling himself from the covers, Shion knew it had been a nightmare. What else could it have been? Shion nodded. Despite his curious nature and insatiable desire for any and all knowledge he never pushed Nezumi to reveal certain things about his past. Such as the nightmares. He never asked Nezumi what exactly it was that he dreamt of. If there were always the same. If they differed. Why they were one way then another on a different day.

A year ago though Shion had made Nezumi reveal parts of his childhood. As a means to trust him, to believe he would stay after he'd left for so long. At first Nezumi resented him for it, claimed he'd never promised Shion a future, he'd never promised Shion forever. He'd only promised to visit, to see him again, promised that he'd come back. Not to stay. But to observe the change.

A month after he'd returned though Nezumi had begun dreaming of those words his mother had told him. _Requested_ of him. At first he'd been confused. He hadn't understood what she’d meant. Besides he'd already failed her hadn't he? Nothing about his life had been simple. Ever since they were murdered that night nothing had been simple. Not his emotions, not the bakery boy, not the bees, not Elyurias, not leaving, and sure as hell not staying. None of it had been simple. Easy. It had all been a knot in his chest.

Tight. Hurt to speak around, to breath around, was tough to pretend wasn't there. But he'd survived his whole life with it. Over time it grew to be easily ignored. Forgotten.

“Goodnight, Nezumi,” Shion whispered, breaking Nezumi of his thoughts. Red eyes staring back into grey ones. His eyelids drooped slightly, clearly exhausted from the night prior. He'd worked late, his coworkers having kept him till almost midnight.

“Goodnight. Shion.” Nezumi responded, voice scratchy, he must've been shouting. As tempting as it was Nezumi didn't stand, remove himself from the beneath the heated covers and retrieve a glass of water to soothe his throat. Instead he watched as Shion yawned, eyes shutting as the breath pushed from his lips opened wide to release it.

The knot was gone. Nezumi realized the tight squeeze, push, and pull of his chest was diminished. Gone of his chest like a the wisp of an exhale he'd been holding and finally released. 

It was astounding and bewildering, terrifying and freeing. 

Reaching out Nezumi traced the tip of his index finger along Shion’s scar. Shion’s eyes reopened bleary gaze focusing on Nezumi before he shut them again. Leaning into the barest touch of Nezumi’s finger.

_Be a simple man, Nezumi. Don't ever forget the beauty of simplicity._

This, Nezumi realized was what his mother had been referring to. She'd been referring to the softest touch of his fingertip against Shion’s skin. She was referring to the first moment she held her baby girl or her baby boy. Or when his father held her. She was referring to every time he baked with Karan. To every time Shion laughed. She’d been referring to every time Shion smiled. She'd been referring to every time his brow pinched in concern or when he was working too hard.

She'd been referring to happiness as a whole.

She'd meant that the beauty of simple moments, short, secretive, were the most gorgeous of them all. She requested he fill his life with them. Forget troubles and stress and remember the beauty of Shion’s smile and gorgeous ring of his laugh. She requested he find the simplicity of matching his routine with another’s in much the same manner his baby sister had mimicked his mother’s heartbeat.

She'd requested he find something worth living through all the shit for.

Smiling to himself Nezumi knew he'd found it. Somehow. Miraculously. He'd found it.

At this realization Nezumi was finally sure, that staying had been the right decision. The perfect one. The one that would've made his mother smile that smile he could hardly remember outside his dreams. The one that made simplicity seem beautiful.

The beauty of a simple man’s life, was one Nezumi thought he could get used to.

  
The End

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far comments and kudos are much appreciated~ Tomorrow I'll probably edit this fic like a mad-woman. Goodnight.


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